


The Altar of the Monarchs

by Aurie_Astley



Category: EXO (Band), ITZY (Band), IZONE (Band), Mamamoo, Red Velvet (K-pop Band), TWICE (Band), Wanna One (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Historical, Historical, Korean Characters, Korean Religion & Lore, Politics
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:21:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,394
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27051121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aurie_Astley/pseuds/Aurie_Astley
Summary: They say the most important seat in Gyeongbok Palace belongs to the King, however, what they don’t know is that there is a higher throne that even the sovereign ruler of Goryeo bows to—The Altar of the Monarchs. For the blessing of Heaven’s aplenty and prayer makes a King—so the King bows in reverence and devotion to the Altar.No one but the Royals have seen what the Altar looks like. It is located in Gyeongbok Palace—placed higher and directly across the King’s throne—Doesn’t this show the religious and devout nature of Goryeo’s Monarchs? NO.For what is inside the Altar isn’t a statue of a god—what is inside the Altar is the curse of the Royal Family—whose name is BAE JOOHYUN.Joohyun is the curse of the Monarchs of Goryeo, she is the true sovereign.The King’s decree? It’s actually Joohyun’s order.  Alliance between neighbor countries? It’s Joohyun’s plot. There is a new Queen? Joohyun must be bored. The King has died? He probably irritated Joohyun. The selection of a new King? It’s Joohyun’s choice.But is Joohyun good? If so, why is she called a curse? Is she evil? But why are her decisions leading to Goryeo’s success? Only time will tell… that and the birth of Kang Seulgi.
Relationships: Bae Joohyun | Irene/Kang Seulgi
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	The Altar of the Monarchs

**Author's Note:**

> \--OR--  
> Bae Joo Hyun is the immortal sovereign that rules Ancient Korea and has controlled the Royal family for centuries, with princes and princesses cursed to follow her every whim, Kings and Queens bound to do her bidding—She has her reasons (read on to find out ^_~), Oh and YES—she has immortal minions, underlings, and Voodoo superpowers—really, she has the makings of a villain queen!  
> So, what will happen when the King secretly marries a woman and births a prince outside the palace—a prince that will be raised away from Joo Hyun’s control, a prince that will live free of the Altar’s curse.  
> Will Kang Seul Gi finally become the TRUE MONARCH? Or will he also follow THE ALTAR OF THE MONARCHS?
> 
> Hello everyone! I hope you are all safe and well! Rona has been a pain, so here I am destressing by writing out my magnificent Idea for one of my main SHIPS! Also expect slow updates for this one, I just wanted to put the story out and establish the Idea—so that I can write whenever I’m not bound by school-works.
> 
> AND YEP THIS HAS MALE SEULGI <3
> 
> I do hope you all enjoy, subscribe, ask questions and comment your thoughts for this one! It motives me to write and brings a smile to my day!
> 
> Oh, and also, if there is any similar plot it may be because I enjoy watching Historical Kdramas like Empress Ki, Eternal Monarch, The Scholar who walks in the night, and such—Other than these influences—THE STORYLINE IS ENTIRELY MINE!
> 
> Oh, and please do admire my poster and art, I poured blood, sweat, tears, and probably damaged my cornea for it. Hehe. Hope you smile today!

****

**CHAPTER I**

_The Immortals of Joohyun Bae_

“Seja-Jeoha (Crown prince)! Jeoha (your majesty)! Where are you?” the 16-year-old crown prince, Lee Young-Bae, crouched behind a pillar of the minister’s pavilion. Hiding from his court-ladies and eunuchs, Lee Young-Bae held his palm over his mouth to mute the childish giggle that threatened to escape and reveal his position to the panicked servants.

Peeking from the pillar, Young-Bae saw the head eunuch order the palace guards and other court ladies to search the princes’ pavilion and the royal garden. Young-Bae smirked, confident that it would take a bit of time before they figured out that Young-Bae was not fooling around in the garden or with his brothers—well, he actually was fooling around in the sense that he was enjoying making his eunuchs and attendants panic, but still, for Young-Bae what he was doing was a matter of importance.

Dropping on all fours, Goryeo’s future king crawled from the pillar where he hid towards one of the windows of the minister’s pavilion, he intended to use the structure of the pavilion to hide from his searching servants and get to Geunjeongjeon hall—the most important room in all of Gyeongbok palace, for it was where the King’s throne was located, it was also where the most important Altar was built—and that is what Young-Bae is after, as the crown-prince and future king, Young-Bae felt the need to see the Altar and to pray for his future reign.

It was a request he had already asked of his father, Lee Jun-Young—the current King, but his father had turned him down and reprimanded Young-Bae not to be hasty to become a king. The King’s exact words were, “The Altar is a place for Kings, and you my son is not yet King. You are not yet ready, go and pray to the priests’ altar, pray, so that the Sky God would grant you freedom and sovereignty in your reign.”

Young-Bae understood the first part of his father’s sentence, yes, he is still young and is not yet the King, but what he didn’t understand is why his father would ask Young-Bae to pray to another altar when Kings should pray at the Monarch’s Altar. It is well known to scholars and ministers that the greatest kings to ever rule Goryeo were devout worshippers who’d spend a long amount of time inside the Monarch’s Altar—in fact, Young-Bae’s teachers advised the crown prince to pray at the Altar for the success of his reign and for the safety of Goryeo. It was with that intention that Young-Bae asked his father to allow him access to the Altar, just so he could pray and ask for blessing—but his father denied his request, it boggled Young-Bae’s young mind. Surely his father is not so selfish not to share the Altar that belongs to Monarchs? Isn’t Young-Bae a monarch? So, shouldn’t he, as crown-prince, be allowed to pray at the Altar built for him to pray in? Why must he go to the priests’ altar and pray there?

Young-Bae pushed his musings to the back of his mind as he approached the hall of the Kings—it was a place where the former and past Kings’ thrones, paintings, and ashes were stored and kept—One day, should his father pass, he too would be added to that hall, Young-Bae too, knows that this hall would be his final resting space. Taking a step inside the hall of the Kings, Young-Bae took off his headgear to show his respect, kneeling down, he bowed, his forehead touching the floor as he greeted Goryeo’s past kings.

Young-Bae stood up and proceeded to head to his original destination. The hall of the Kings was just one of the rooms directly connected to the Altar of the monarchs— Young-Bae figured if his father will not allow him passage from the throne room, then Young-Bae would just use another door.

He admired each throne that he passed, remembering the words of his teacher, _“Seja-Joha, the hall of the Kings is the final resting place for all kings. It is also called the hall of veneration for this is where we will pay our respect and remember how each monarch reigned. Each throne belongs to a king, with their portrait hanging over the throne and a chest beside it. From the first King Lee Taejo, to your grandfather, King Lee Sunjong, there is a total of 40 portraits and 40 chests, for the past 40 kings,”_ Young-Bae n had asked then, _“What is inside the chest?”_

Hearing the words of his teacher as he traversed through the hall, _“Each chest contains the most precious and most important belongings of late kings, it may be their most valuable weapon, jewelleries, letters, anything really. But no one is allowed to open or even touch the chests. Remember prince Young-Bae, the hall of veneration is a place for respect, even you my crown prince cannot open the chests belonging to previous kings.”_

As the crown prince passed each portrait of the Kings, he found himself rooted where he stood, Young-Bae hadn’t noticed it before. In the succession of the kings, there was a single throne that was scorched black, it was mangled and broken. Taking a step further to inspect, Young-Bae flinched as he saw that there was no portrait that showed what the king who owned the throne looked like—Who owned that throne?

Young-Bae stared at the throne before the empty one and saw the portrait of King Lee Gun, the king who reformed Goryeo’s marriage system so he could marry more concubines—this led to a civil war between his sons who fought for the throne, which caused a great famine to befall on the people and left Goryeo in a state of disarray, oddly enough, Young-Bae’s scholars never did teach him how the monarchy recovered from that, shifting his gaze to the throne succeeding the empty one. Young-Bae saw the scared visage of King Lee Sun, he was one of the most devout worshippers of the Altar, his reign albeit lacklustre, was one of the most peaceful times Goryeo experienced, again Young-Bae’s scholars didn’t tell him how Lee Sun was crowned. _How did Goryeo fix the mess King Lee Gun left? How so that in King Lee Sun’s reign, everything was already peaceful?_

The crowned prince scrunched his brows, his gaze returning to the scorched throne, who owned this throne? who reigned after the polygamous King Lee Gun and before the meek Lee Sun? Young-Bae has read and heard nothing about this scorched throne, taking a step closer, with his hand outstretched, the chair’s mangled texture was the last thing Lee Young-Bae felt before he crashed to the ground and lost his consciousness.

* * *

Young-Bae twitched as he felt thorns crawl up around his body, he tried to get up from where he was laying, but the roots tied him to the ground, disoriented, he pulled against the binds around his hand, and with great effort he was able to free his hands, but before he could move to untie his calves and ankles— Young-Bae felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up, he sat frozen on a 4-meter clearing in the middle of what seemed to be a forest in Goryeo. Young-Bae turned his head slowly to the direction of the sound and saw something he feared, a massive tiger with blood red eyes prowled towards him, Young-Bae immediately tried to find any sort of weapon, and once he didn’t, panic rushed through—the young crown prince scrambled off the ground and slipped as his ankles were still tied, he shakingly untied his binds as the tiger opened its mouth in a silent roar before it lunged towards Young-Bae. Fortunately, Young-Bae was able to avoid the tiger’s bite but he wasn’t able to avoid its claws, with newfound pain on his sides, Young-Bae desperately tried to crawl away from the mongering beast.

 **Roar!** Young-Bae flinched and curled up on the floor as he heard the tiger roar ferociously, nothing made sense, Young-Bae couldn’t remember anything, no matter how hard he tried, he didn’t know how he found himself in a forest in the middle of the night, with no light and no sign of life—well except for the tiger currently quiet behind him— _wait, the tiger is silent?_

Young-Bae turned around and breathed in relief at the absence of the beast, he will not anymore ask how and why the tiger that seemed so hungry is nowhere to be found—instead Young-Bae picked himself up from the floor and tried to figure out how to get out of the life-forsaken forest.

Young-Bae had been running around the forest for what he guessed was 4 hours, hoping to find any landmark or river so that he could figure out where he was and how to get back to his palace, his servants must’ve noticed his absence and his father must’ve been notified—surely the royal guards are already looking for him. He had to make sure to be found alive, which was why Young-Bae desperately wanted to find any source of water.

Young-Bae took of his crown prince robes, as its heaviness was tiring Young-Bae even more than he already was, slumping against a tree, the crown prince tried to calm his beating heart and catch his breath when he heard falling water—wait, water? Falling?—a waterfall!

With renewed vigour, Young-Bae sped off from where he was slouching towards the sound of the water fall, approaching the clearing and seeing the waterfall would’ve been such a wonderous sight with the way the moon’s dim light was reflected on the water—but Young-Bae was pulled under the water by a force he did not see or feel. Moving his arms and kicking his feet upwards didn’t seem to do Young-Bae any good, in-fact, it seems as if he was sinking further—he was trying his best to hold his breathe, but even with his years of training as a crown-prince, Young-Bae’s physique couldn’t save him from how he was drowning. Slowly losing his consciousness, one last thing caught Young-Bae’s attention, squinting his eyes, Young-Bae saw a hand extended towards him, feeling his hope renew, he grabbed the hand, only to be faced with a drowned, pale corpse, whose eyes were open but dull and lifeless— Young-Bae didn’t know if he could scream underwater, but that was what he did.

* * *

Opposite to Young-Bae’s expectations, back in Gyeongbok palace, everything was peaceful, no royal guards were in search, the eunuchs and court ladies who were desperate in looking for the crown prince were ordered to retreat back to their quarters and to stay silent about the matter. From the eyes of an outsider it would seem just like any night in the palace.

However, the truth could be seen in the private chambers of King Jun-Young, where the King along with his wife—Queen Ga-Eun, his brother—prince Yunho, and their mother—Queen-Dowager Hyegyeong were talking about the missing crown prince Lee Young-Bae.

“Jun-Young, I am asking you to save your son! Please!” Queen Ga-Eun pleaded from where she sat to her husband, they all knew who had the crown prince, there was no one else who would dare abduct a monarch other than **_her_**.

“Jungjeon (Queen), calm down, _Mistress_ will return Young-Bae to us,” The Queen Dowager tried to calm the younger queen, but it was naught—for Queen Ga-Eun has always been afraid of the immortal woman that controlled the royal family.

“What right does she have to take my son? He is still young! It is too early for him to know the truth! Too early to be taken away from me! My son!” Queen Ga-Eun cried out, feeling helpless, as her tears silenced the calming words of the Queen Dowager and broke the heart of the puppet king even further.

When Ga-Eun was married to Jun-Young as a crown princess, she did not know that the royal family were under the control of an immortal demon, she did not know, and she was so happy—until Jun-Young was abducted just before his coronation, and just like now, Jun-Young’s disappearance had been ignored and brushed aside, no matter how much she pleaded. It was a fortnight after when Jun-Young had returned, and the brave and dream-filled crown prince she loved was replaced by a scared, haunted, and submissive king. Ga-Eun knew, that the _Mistress—_ Bae Joohyun, took monarchs as she saw fit, and when they returned, they were never the same… it was as if she has killed them without actually ending their life.

“Mama (Your majesty), please, lower your voice, _they_ might hear your words. Be careful of what you say, there are consequences…” The brother of the king, Lee Yunho pleaded, should Ga-Eun incur the wrath of the Altar, his brother might just find himself Queen-less.

Although Yunho’s words were intended to pacify the queen, it only served to resolve her fear fuelled wrath, “Is it not enough that we have chains around our necks?! That even our words are not ours to say?!”

Queen Ga-Eun glared at her silent husband and stood up from where she sat, “At our wedding, you promised me love and happiness in this marriage! Well King Jun-Young! I neither feel loved nor am I happy, everyday has been a constant part to play! I am no queen—just a puppet for the public! You have taken away my freedom, and tonight, with your inaction, you have killed my son.”

King Jun-Young sat helplessly as he watched his Queen walk out of his private quarters, wincing as the door was almost slammed out of its place by Ga-Eun’s tempered exit.

“Do not mind the Queen my son, she is just like any mother, she is worried for Young-bae, but we know that even if Young-bae is still young. He has a good heart. He will pass the test.” The Queen-Dowager, Hyegyeong talked to her first-born son, who now bore the curse of the crown. Unlike Ga-Eun, Hyegyeong was chosen as Queen at the behest of the _Mistress_ , which explained her more hospitable attitude towards the Mistress that occupied the Altar of the Monarchs. Hyegyeong owed the altar her Queenship, no matter the fact that she is another puppet, at least she was still in a position of power—even if the power was both limited and borrowed.

King Jun-Young nodded at the words of his mother; however, he was hiding his displeasure at his mother’s words and attitude, he would rather have her express hate towards the altar than be another meek sheep praying at its feet. “Get your rest Daebi-mama (Queen-Dowager), all we can do is wait on Young-Bae’s return.”

“Goodnight my King, you as well Yunho, rest soon.” Hyegyeong rose from her seat and bowed to show her respect to her son, the king. Turning around, Hyegyeong didn’t miss the hostility she felt from her two sons just because she gave the Altar support instead of displeasure.

Once both the King and his brother were sure that their mother was out of earshot, Prince Yunho turned his attention to the King and lowered his voice, “Have you gone to the altar?”

Jun-Young shook his head, “Mistress Bae has not called for me. I know that she’s not at the altar, she’s probably taking part in the ritual.”

“Ritual? You mean the test that the Altar gives to crown princes?” Yunho asked, as a prince not in line of the throne, he never was concerned with the test that is given to all crown prince’s whenever their coronation came close. It was the Altar’s decision whether a crown prince would succeed to become king, or if they would choose another prince—but it was something that rarely happened, for the truth of the Altar was something the main branch of the Royal family has tried to keep under wraps as best as they could.

“It is no test Yunho, it is torture. No person—lest a prince, can withstand it and stay sane, a different person comes out of it, you know that...” Yunho nodded at the heavy words of his older brother, Yunho’s relief at the fact that he was only another prince is rooted at the fact that all crown princes were taken by the Altar, no one except the crown princes who have already went through the test and the kings knew what the test was all about. The change of his brother, Jun-Young, when he returned from his test was a testament to this.

“My wife is right, I doubt Young-Bae would return the same… that foolish son of mine.” Yunho stayed silent at his brother’s distress, they were helpless and at the mercy of the Altar—but all that would soon change.

* * *

The last thing Young-Bae remembered was that he was drowning, the next thing he felt was heat, a heat so scalding, it was as if the water around him has turned into flames—oddly enough even as he drowned and burned… he still hasn’t died or lost his consciousness…

It was endless, Young-Bae clawed at his throat, at anything really, he couldn’t understand what was happening, he was disoriented, but one thought resounded in his mind, _he wanted it to end._

The State of Goryeo was ran by the King, but it was with help—the court of the Monarchs was made up of three state councillors; the chief state councillor, the left state councillor, and the right state councillor. There were also Six major ministers, various ministers, officers, advisors, and inspectors from bureaus, offices, and governorates. Each day at court was vital to ensure Goryeo’s stability. Which was why the sudden order of the king to halt state proceedings for a week shocked all the court officials.

“What do you mean the King cancelled the court for a week?!” Chief State Councillor, Jinhyuk Choi, let out his displeasure at the King’s unexpected decree.

“Has anything happened to the King?” The Left State Councillor, Woosung Hwang questioned the bearer of the news, which was none other than Prince Yunho, the King’s Chief Secretary.

“Councillors, Ministers; His Majesty, the King, is apologetic at this abrupt announcement, but the Heavens have spoken, and our Crowned Prince, Young-Bae Lee has begun his **Passage of Accession**.” Gasps were heard at Yunho’s words, the Passage of Accession was the first and an important part of a King’s coronation, the fact that Crown Prince Young-Bae has started his Passage of Accession indicated that King Jun-Young was no longer capable of fulfilling his role as Goryeo’s Sovereign.

“Is the King sick?!”

“What? Where is the King?”

“Now? Is it not too early to make Prince Young-Bae the King?”

“Prince Young-Bae is too young!”

If earlier the displeasure was hidden by the ministers at the cancellation of court proceedings, here, at the impression that the 16-years-old Young-Bae would be crowned King, the state officials could no longer hide their thoughts. Prince Yunho raised his hand to calm the officials.

“Do not fret officers, the King is strong and healthy. He will address the state first thing tomorrow morn, so please ready your scribes. That is all I can say for now, the Royal Family expects nothing but your obedience in this time. Till tomorrow,” At that Prince Yunho turned and left the court room confused, anxious, and perplexed.

At the absence of any one with Royal Blood, the ministers and officials turned to one another and gossiped their criticisms of King Jun-Young’s vague decree.

Ignored and unknown to the occupants of the room, their reproaches of how the Royal Family acts is heard not by any of the Monarchs, but by a priest of the Altar. Eight meters above them, a small Luan Bird sat at a pane under the roof, looking at the ministers with a keen eye, hearing every word and each whisper.

* * *

Young-Bae didn’t know where the pain started or ended, but then he was jolted and stopped feeling the strangling of his lungs and the burning of his skin—He opened his eyes, but everything was blurred. He felt someone drag him from the freezing yet scalding water and onto a bank of the waterfall. Young-Bae wheezed, coughing out the water he ingested, all the whilst, his hands clutched the dirt below him like a lifeline.

Goryeo’s crown prince turned back to see the person who saved him, he wanted to thank him—but what he saw, had Young-Bae struggle to stand up on his knees, the person who saved him, was nowhere to be found.

“Help!” Young-Bae strained and searched for the source of the shout, squinting his eyes, he saw that the person who saved him was now the one who was drowning…

Young-Bae gathered his strength and ran back to the water with the intention of saving his saviour. However, Young-Bae’s feet stilled once he felt the freezing and scalding water. Flashes of how he suffocated, how he drowned, how he burned, and how it all seemed so endless froze the crown prince in his stead.

“Help! Please!” Young-Bae desperately tried to take another step deeper into the water, it was only right to repay the man who had saved him, but his fear was like a wall looming over his head.

It was a first for the crown prince, he had never let fear render him incapable… Young-Bae almost wished for the tiger to come back and devour him whole.

“I’m sorry…” the crown prince could only whisper his words as he turned and left his saviour to die.

* * *

The small Luan bird flew high above Gyeongbeok palace, heading towards the Yulae Palace (Palace of Origin). Stooping into the highest temple, the midnight-blue bird gracefully turned into a beautiful woman as she landed on her feet.

“Sister,” the turned woman directed her attention to the man that greeted her upon her arrival, “Brother, Where’s the mistress?”

Sharp molten eyes greeted the woman, if the woman was as dark as midnight, the man that stood before her was light as silver. Although opposite in their shrouds and wear, the man and woman were similar in their difference. “Lady Bae has called the Altar into order; she expects us inside the Wonsanji.”

Wheein nodded at the reply, “Then we must not make her wait.”

“Dear sister, has the court been troublesome?” Ryujin asked his sister, as they traversed the Yulae Palace to head towards the Wonsanji. Although both Wheein and Ryujin weren’t actually siblings, in a sense, they were—because they shared the same progenitor, the same creator.

“The King’s brother made a few announcements, which lead to the mongering of the court officials.” Wheein replied, keeping in mind the words that she would report to their mistress later on.

“Orders? Has the mistress given orders to the king?” Ryujin thought verbally, wondering when their mistress found the time to go to the King, when they were all occupied the night before.

“I wonder that as well, brother, but we will soon find out.” Wheein’s words were the last words said, before the brother and sister fell into silence as they soon arrived in their destination.

Though young in appearance, both Wheein Jung and Ryujin Shin are immortal beings, ethereal. Their otherworldly beauty showed with how they talked, how they walked, and how they held themselves. However, they were not the only ones with this distinction.

As Wheein and Ryujin entered the Hall of Origin or as they call it, Wonsanji, the hall was occupied with immortals under the authority of the Altar, all sharing the same mistress—Joohyun Bae.

The Hall of Origin was found inside the Yulae Palace, it was a palace strictly prohibited to human beings, no living person was allowed passage inside, unless they were the King or if they were called by the Altar. The Yulae Palace was at the edge of Gyeongbeok palace, making it the most inaccessible structure in Goryeo’s bastion. This palace was considerably smaller than the other structures inside Gyeongbeok—its exterior was hauntingly dark—a way to ward off curious little monarchs, in contrast, its interior was the most breath-taking out of all the edifice within Gyeongbeok, a reflection of Joohyun Bae’s affection for the arts.

The hall in which they were to meet, was their equivalent of a throne room. The Wonsanji was spherical in shape, when you enter it, the first thing that you would see is a huge statue of Hwanin, the sky god, looming behind Joohyun Bae’s throne. Accordingly, there were other thrones divided by pillars, which was decorated by wraithlike statues and sculptures. Each pillar showed heavenly beings with titles: **_Bulgae, Fenghuang, Luan,_** **_Qian Lima, Qi Lin,_** and Joohyun Bae’s own—the **_Beom_**.

In other words, the pillars’ sculptures and titles showcased **the immortals’ true forms as they weren’t all humans.**

Because there were **thirteen** **immortals** , there were thirteen thrones inside the hall, one for each of the immortals. There were two thrones respectively for the **_Bulgae, Fenghuang, Luan,_** and ** _, Qi Lin_**. Four thrones for the **_Qian Lima_** , and one throne for the **_Beom_**.

“Mistress,” Wheein and Ryujin elegantly bowed their respect to the woman that gave purpose to their unending lives.

“Lady Jung, Lord Shin,” Goryeo’s true sovereign greeted in return, seating regally on her throne.

At their mistress’s acknowledgement, both Wheein and Ryujin turned to head at their own designation inside the hall, sitting below the sculpture of the **_Luan bird_**. The Luan are powerful creations of Hwanin—the Sky God, the **_Beom_** is their current master.

“As we all know, Crown Prince Young-Bae, touched the scorched relic in the Hall of Veneration.” One of the immortals under the **_Bulgae_** sculpture, Kyungsoo Do, spoke. The **_Bulgae_** were fire dogs, they were created by the God of darkness—Gamangnara, but they now dwell among the land of the living, under the complete influence of the **_Beom_** , who now is Joohyun Bae.

“We had no choice but to proceed with the Passage of Accession as the poison already started to kill the prince.” The only other **_Bulgae_** , Sooyoung Park, supplied. If they hadn’t found the crown prince’s body and performed the ritual—Young-Bae would’ve died of his foolishness. All the immortals knew why Joohyun Bae keeps the scorched throne that is enveloped in the **_Beom_** ’s poison inside the Hall of Veneration—Although Joohyun Bae could destroy the desolate throne of a long-dead king, she didn’t, it was the bane of her existence—the mark of her vengeance. So even if it was such a dangerous relic to mortals, the throne still sat in the Hall of Veneration, open for foolish humans to ogle and touch.

“The **_Qilin_** , Chaeyon Lee and Chaeryeong Lee, as well as the **_Fenghuang_** , Minhyun Hwang and Chaeyoung Son are overseeing the primary stages of the ritual.” Sooyoung said, explaining the absence of the four immortals. Like the **_Luan_** , the **_Fenghuang_** was also created by Hwanin. Whilst the **_Qilin_** were created by **Yuhwa** , the goddess of willow trees.

“Lord Kyungsoo and I will take over once the ritual progresses. Of course, we will call you once the ritual reaches its ending stage, Mistress.”

“Excellent,” Joohyun hummed her response, although her features were schooled in, the immortals could see the thrilled yet derisive gleam in her eyes. As Joohyun always did whenever a ritual takes place. “Here I thought, I would have to wait another decade for some excitement!”

“It appears, Mistress, that the crown prince wanted to access the Altar in the King’s throne room.” Ryujin reported, for it was he, in his black Luan form, that had seen the crown prince’s imprudent efforts and eventual collapsing in the Hall of Veneration.

“I see… It seems we have ourselves a curious little monarch. Sooyoung, Kyungsoo, ensure that our crown prince gets to quench his curiosity and drinks his fill.” Sooyoung and Kyungsoo nodded, not missing the underlying meaning behind their mistress’s words.

Joohyun turned her attention from her **_Bulgae_** , to her favourite white bird. Once Joohyun had learned of the crown prince’s foolishness, she had started the ritual with the others, forcing her to forego personally going to court to sit in the Altar, thus, she had ordered the **_Luan_** to oversee it for her. “Wheein, what happened at the court today?”

“The King did not attend court. It was prince Yunho that came in his stead, news of the King’s orders to cancel state affairs for a week was delivered by the prince, furthermore, it was said that the King would address his subjects tomorrow.” The white **_Luan_** bird, Wheein Jung further relayed key information of the court’s proceedings in that morn.

“Hmmm…” The immortals stayed silent at Joohyun’s humming, however, there was a certain growl behind Joohyun’s tune. Answering Ryujin and Wheein’s question whether the King’s actions came from Joohyun’s instructions, or if the King acted on his own. Clearly, with the way their mistress shifted her hands stiffly, it was the King’s own decision.

“It seems, I must visit our puppet King. We can’t have him thinking he has any power, now can we?” Joohyun gracefully rose from where she sat, intending to leave Yulae Palace to go and find the foolish King. Well a foolish King and a foolish prince, how fitting.

A thought to massacre the entire monarchy passed through Joohyun’s mind, but she reigned her thoughts—it would be harder to control Goryeo with the truth—lest she be called a witch and also decide to massacre the entire world. Sighing, Joohyun figured that the monarchs, even with their little rebellion and disobedience, made quite a good puppet figure.

The immortals stood, and bowed towards Joohyun’s retreating form. “Mistress,”

Still humming a tune only, she knows, Joohyun turned her head to the side and addressed the **_Qianlima,_** “Oh, and do make sure that there’s no trouble at the northern border. I heard the Yuan are quite restless this time of the year.”

The **_Qianlima_** were war lords that took the form of ethereal and majestic horses, their creator was **Koenegitto** —a war god that called upon them through a gong that he crafted. Unlike the other immortals, their loyalty was not given to Joohyun entirely, but to the gong that Koenegitto once owned, that Joohyun now possesses.

“Yes, Lady Bae,” All four ** _Qianlima_** immortals; Sehun, Seongwoo, Euigeon, and Jeongyeon, voiced their obedience. They were replied with the visage of Joohyun’s sardonic smirk in her retreating profile.

Once their mistress left the throne room, the immortals turned to each other and bowed their goodbyes before the **_Qianlima_** turned into their true forms, with the intention to head to Goryeo’s borders. Whilst the **_Luan_** and **_Bulgae_ , **headed to do their duties, as immortals who were the true rulers of Goryeo, as priests of the Altar, as immortals of Joohyun Bae.

immediately preoccupied curse whimpered dramatically sardonically

* * *

CHAPTER TWO TEASER:

"A little Birdie told me you've been making big decisions~" King Jun-Young froze at the voice that invaded his private quarters. He had given orders not to be disturbed, it would be none other than Joohyun Bae that would do this.

Goryeo's puppet King immediately dropped on his knees and hands as he searched for Joohyun, he saw her lounging on one of the pillars holding the ceiling up. Jun-young grimaced at the beautiful appearance of his tormentor. He whimpered in greeting, "Mistress,"

It was one thing to disobey Joohyun Bae knowing she was preoccupied, it was another thing, apparently, to face the consequence of your actions. The puppet King, cursed himself as he readied to grovel for Joohyun's mercy. He would make sure not to listen to Yunho's prompting next time, it was foolish of them to try and challenge the Altar's sovereignty, even if it was through a petty state announcement.

Jun-Young snivelled, he didn't expect that the Altar's mistress would suddenly jump down from the ceiling's wood panel and theatrically land in front of him.

The King felt his heart beat faster as the most beautiful woman he has ever seen, started to hum scathingly, as if enjoying his torment. Jun-Young knows how pathetic he might seem to the immortal.

**_"Tell me Jun-Young-ah, whose life do you value? Your son's or your own?"_ **


End file.
